Foot Locker’s name in lights on Hollywood Walk of Fame created by JTM Construction Group Inc.
“I love the double-height space with giant LED screens that can be seen from the street through the glass façade – it looks incredible at night,” says Jonathan Holloway, JTM Construction Group Inc. project manager about the Foot Locker Los Angeles flagship store. The curved building sits on the busy corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue along the high-energy Hollywood Walk of Fame, and gets a lot of attention, he adds.
During construction, JTM Construction Group Inc. had to shut down Hollywood Boulevard overnight in order to deliver and assemble the 95-foot-long escalator. “The escalator arrived in two sections, and we assembled it on the street, removed the store’s double entry doors, wheeled it inside and had it installed by morning,” explains Holloway.
Escalator installation
Powder-coated in vibrant red acrylic, the escalator contrasts against the dark brick wall on one side, and adds a hip accent to the graffiti art splashed across the wall on the other side, he adds.
The JTM Construction Group Inc. team had to shut down the entire job in the middle of construction to install the TRU polished concrete floors, a multi-phase process of materials and polishing that is labor-intensive. “It turned out very well, and we re-mobilized the team to meet the store delivery date,” says Holloway.
Holiday construction & sales success
The team delivered the flagship in just 18 weeks, on time for the holiday shopping season. This required starting each workday at 4 a.m. to get deliveries in without traffic issues, and working through Thanksgiving and most weekends to accomplish it. “The street was packed with tourists and shoppers, so we had to have full-time security, too,” Holloway adds.
The big store opening event took place on a Saturday with live music, special edition sneakers for collectors and enormous crowds. “The line wrapped around the block to get into the store,” says Holloway. “Foot Locker did a few million dollars in sales in the first few days.”
The Los Angeles Foot Locker flagship joins two other stores built by parent company J.T. Magen & Company Inc. for the sportswear and footwear retailer in New York City and Eastpointe, Michigan. The Hollywood store designed by CallisonRTKL earned its star of fame from opening day.
